This invention relates generally to an improved shock isolating lamp assembly for use as an automotive vehicle lamp, and particularly to an improved shock isolating mount for a vehicle lamp assembly. Automotive vehicles, and particularly commercial vehicles, are subjected to recurrent road shocks in traveling over the highway. These road shocks, transmitted through the frame of the vehicle, affect the relatively fragile filaments of the lamp bulbs in the marker, signalling and driving lamps of the vehicle, so that such bulbs break or become inoperative rather frequently due to the road shocks. Thus the lamp bulbs must be replaced at rather frequent intervals. With some types of lamps, such replacement is rather difficult for the driver of the vehicle to perform on the road. In addition, the driver is frequently unaware that the lamp bulbs on his vehicle have broken, or the lamps are inoperative, as his opportunity for observing the lamp condition occurs only when the vehicle is stopped, as at a rest area or during a change of drivers.
Various means have been proposed to provide shock-free mounting for an automotive vehicle lamp mounting. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,104 issued to Dickson on Oct. 16, 1962, Dickson proposed a mounting including a soft rubber receptacle arranged to receive wings on the lamp socket in a fixed part of the lamp housing. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,031, also issued to J. B. Dickson on Sept. 21, 1965, a soft rubber cup for supporting a conventional metal lamp socket was proposed. This cup was supported in the lamp socket by flexible fingers engaging a metal bracket mounted to the lamp housing. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,878 issued to K. J. Crompton on Sept. 14, 1976 similarly proposes a tubular resilient member with radially extending ear mounting portions for retaining a metal lamp socket. The resilient ears are supported directly in cavities formed in the lamp housing. As noted in this patent, the construction is effective for dampening of vibrations and mild shocks and offers some resistance to severe shocks.
While these proposals have improved the shock isolation of a vehicle lamp thereby extending its life, these proposals have been less than fully satisfactory. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved shock isolating lamp construction which will further reduce shock and vibration imparted to an automotive vehicle lamp and which protects the lead wires from strain in addition to providing improved shock isolation. In addition, it is desirable to provide an improved shock isolating lamp construction which may be more easily constructed and readily assembled than those suggested in the prior art.